Wide area networks, such as the World Wide Web (“WWW”) or the Internet, have become increasingly popular modalities for the advertisement of products or to present unsolicited content to users. Indeed, much like broadcast medium, for example, radio and television, advertisers sponsor content in exchange for the right to present unsolicited content to users, such as, for example, an advertisement. Indeed, advertisers sponsor most of the content on the WWW. The sponsorship provided by the advertiser supports the host providers and facilitates free hosting for individual users.
In exchange for free content support, and therefore, free hosting of individual web sites, advertisers desire to display their advertisements as frequently as possible. Current advertising on the WWW is typically in the form of a small banner or a pop-up window. The banner advertisements are usually placed at the top or bottom of the page. The banner itself is usually insufficient in its advertising message to the consumer. As such, to review the banner advertisement, the user must click on the banner and load the advertisement.
The pop-up window is another form of advertisement. Pop-up advertisements open when a new browser window is opened, wherein the pop-up advertisement appears in front of the user's primary window. As with the banner advertisements, the user must click on the advertisement to view the advertisement.
As evinced above, current advertisement methods require some affirmative action on from the user. Further, current advertising methods are intrusive and interrupt the user's activities. Indeed, unlike broadcast medium, wherein the advertisements are placed in between the content of the main programming, advertisements on the WWW, which can be displayed at any time, are usually displayed over, or with, the content that the user is viewing, and require affirmative action by the user. As most users do not desire to be interrupted in their activities, most users avoid reviewing the advertisements. Indeed, some users avoid sites with highly intrusive advertisements.
A need in the industry exists for a modality of presenting unsolicited content to users wherein the user is not required to affirmatively respond to view the content. A further need exists for a modality of displaying unsolicited content wherein the presentation of the content does not interrupt the user's activities, but rather, occurs during a disruption in the user's review of desired content.